Sunday Saddle Frost
Yesterday’s snow storm dumped a couple of inches of fresh snow onto the ground within just a few hours. Over night, the temperatures dropped and this morning a very strong and freezing wind blew from the East. Perfect conditions for a bike ride, provided you like this type of weather. I headed out on the Niner to find pristine trails. The cold wind was howling through the trees whose frail branches constantly crackled. The climbs were hard but in the couple of inches of powder doable. At higher altitudes riding became often impossible and at times even walking was treacherous. I reached a narrow hiking trail on which I found it safest to ride with one foot in the pedal and the other foot close to ground. Once in a while, a piece of hidden ice would throw my front wheel off its path and my unclipped foot would save me from going down. As I lost altitude, the trails got better and I decided to drop down a ultra-narrow trail. It looked like a rabbit had taken the trail a bit earlier and I followed its tracks. At the bottom of the trail, I shot into a fire road where I greeted the first humans I crossed today. As most of the way back was going against the wind that was bringing freezing air from Russia’s Tundra, I was slowly turning into a moving icicle. It was time to call it a day, and drop back down into Biel for a long, hot shower at home. A few impressions taken with my iPhone along the way:
